1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the alteration of the ratio of the specific gravities of the oil and water phases resulting from the conversion of biomass to liquid products, which can further include the removal of metals and/or the modification of the conductivity, and more particularly to an effective means to reduce the level of solids contained in the oil phase.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the conversion of biomass to liquid products, the product stream can contain both an oil phase and a water phase (containing both water present in the biomass prior to conversion, and water produced during the conversion process). Pyrolysis, in particular flash pyrolysis, has been proposed as one such process for converting solid biomass material to liquid products. Pyrolysis in general refers to a process in which a feedstock is heated in an oxygen-poor or oxygen-free atmosphere. If solid biomass is used as the feedstock of a pyrolysis process, the process produces gaseous, liquid, and solid products. It is often the case that the oil phase has a higher specific gravity than the water phase, resulting in the oil phase settling to the bottom of a settling vessel, and emulsions can also form between the oil and water phases. As a result, any solids present in the reaction products also settle into the oil phase, which can cause issues in downstream processing of the oil, and can be difficult and expensive to remove.
Thus, there is a need for an improved system whereby the solids content of biomass derived oil is reduced.